Poverty đź“Ť

NPR

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Arkansas Panhandling Law Struck Down, Violates First Amendment, Judge Rules : NPR

When a panhandler approaches a car in the intersection — his hand out, his eyes wide — that physical interaction is protected by the First Amendment, a federal district judge ruled Monday when he threw out an Arkansas city's panhandling ban.

It's the latest such ban to be found unconstitutional since a 2015 Supreme Court decision made it harder for the government to pass laws having to do with the content of speech. That case, Reed v. Town of Gilbert, had to do with regulating church signs, but courts around the country have cited the case as they strike down panhandling laws.

In recent years, you see a lot more pan handling in Downtown Albany and not only in poor neighborhoods. It seems like panhandlers nowadays are more white, working class folk like you might see working construction years ago. I wonder if it has more to do with the heroin epidemic and people loosing their jobs and their homes, getting left behind on the street in the city.

Child Poverty Could Be Cut In Half Over 10 Years, At A Hefty Price

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Report: Child Poverty Could Be Cut In Half Over 10 Years, At A Hefty Price

"Child poverty in the U.S. could be cut in half over the next 10 years with a few simple steps, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The cost would be high — at least $90 billion a year. But the National Academies report warns that the price of not doing anything would be far greater."